Citizen Cope - Every Waking Moment - RCA

XPN favorite Clarence Greenwood - a.k.a. Citizen Cope - has always been incredibly adept at combining groove and message, and on Every Waking Moment, that talent is once again on display.

Cope's distinctive vocal style is always convincing, and he's an expert at melding muted hip-hop beats with engaging melodies like on "Friendly Fire" and "All Dressed Up". The overall feel this time around is much more mid-tempo, but that doesn't stop Every Waking Moment from being just as immediate as its' predecessors. There's some absolutely lovely tunes here, most notably "More Than It Seems" and the lamenting "John Lennon." He even leaves us with a great instrumental track on this album, a '70's throwback called "Awe".

Here's a guy who manages to sound like no one else, but who retains enough of the familiar to catch you on the first listen. More importantly, Cope takes a good look in the mirror and ouside his window to the world on Every Waking Moment.